The Family Heirloom

• Jennifer J. Novak, Grade 6, Northeast Bradford Elementary School
• Short Story
• 2001

Finalist in the '2001/2002 Schools Short Story Competition - Magic and Mystery Theme' competition

Once, long ago, in the deep countryside of Ireland, luscious rolling hills surrounded a small ramshakle house in a desolate area. In that narrow two-roomed dwelling an attractive young woman stood in the doorway of the pebble-sized hut. The beautiful girl named Marie had medium length auburn hair, which bounced freely in the wind. She was on the tall side. She was an orphan and too young to
live on her own so Uncle Milton was her new guardian for the next two long, lonesome years.
He had been a well-known thief throughout Ireland and stole from who ever he could. he
was to arrive on Tuesday and Marie worried constantly for her mother repeatedly warned her to keep all great possessions in a safe care when her uncle was around. Right before her mother passed away, Marie received an important heirloom that had been in the family for generations. The gift was a tiny crystal with a sapphire as blue as the ocean in the heart of
the luminous precious stone. Marie had hidden the stone well on an extremely thin chain and wore it like a necklace.
The small but brilliant crystal was concealed underneath her lavender dress. The next day Marie carefully examined every possession in the house to be sure it wasn't of any value. The following morning her uncle ran into the house bellowing, "Where's my favorite niece!" surprising Marie out of her wits, and she jumped up in astonishment exposing the crystal. Uncle Milton soon saw the wonderful crystal and exclaimed, "You better let me take that for keeping!" "What?" she asked, "Take what?" "The crystal," he replied, this time more forcefully.
"I don't have a crystal," she said while slipping the crystal in her corset. Milton flung the girl's neck back and saw nothing there and calmly said, "My eyes must be playing tricks on me." Marie got the table ready for lunch. The girl fixed the tiny, but filling lunch of bread and butter with two potatoes. They ate in silence hoping the other would talk. After an uncomfortable goodnight, Marie gave up her divan to her new guardian and slept a long, uncomfortable night on the hard kitchen floor. The next day Marie snuck out to the outhouse to see the gem after a meager "good morning" to her uncle. When Marie exposed the crystal in the sun and saw how pretty it was she knew she couldn't let her uncle have it. "Oh saints!" she cried out in distress. She knew what she had to do. She decided to get help from Patrick, her neighbor. "Uncle, I'll be outside for a bit." Marie ran quickly to her neighbor's house and spilled out the whole story ending it with, "Can you help me?" An hour later the sheriff marched in to the house and caught the unsuspecting Milton.
With a wave the sheriff said, "You are not responsible enough to live on your own," and he was off, with Milton trailing at his heels, of course.